Jaguars To Promote Touch American Football

The Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL franchise set to return once again to Wembley later this year, will be promoting its new brand of touch American football in the UK next month.

The Jaguars will be touching down at London Fields on Sunday 27th September for ‘JagTag Live’ – a special event that aims to make American football easy to play and accessible for people of all ages and ability.

JagTag Live will offer free coaching sessions with NFL experts on specially set out pitches designed to give people an introduction to playing the game. 

The event will also feature a number of more general American football based activities, suitable for all ages, as well as appearances from the team’s professional cheerleading troupe, the ROAR of the Jaguars. 

The Jaguars will also host a myth busting zone allowing people to receive hints and tips from coaches on the sport’s basics including throwing and catching. 

Jacksonville Jaguars player Sergio Brown, who visited the UK last month to meet UK fans, recalled how he had fallen in love with the game through touch football and claimed JagTag could be the perfect way for the game to grow in the UK.

“I think it’s awesome that the Jaguars have taken the time to create JagTag, a version of American football for the UK that can be played by everyone,” he said. “I’ve played football since I was a kid and touch was how I got introduced to the game so I have a lot of fond memories of it – it’s where my journey began.

“You can just play it in the backyard or in the park with your friends and family and it’s so easy to play. All you need is a ball and a few people and you’ve got yourselves a game. JagTag will give people a great introduction as well as getting people active.

“We just want people to learn how to play the game as easily as possible and that’s what JagTag is all about – it’s really fun and easy to learn for all ages so I hope people get out there, grab a ball and just have fun.”

Later in 2015, the Jaguars will also be releasing their own free online ‘JagTag Playbook’ which will act as a simple guide with all the information needed to learn the game as well as tips from current coaching staff and players on the team. 

Laura Oakes, Jacksonville Jaguars UK sponsorship director, added: “The Jaguars have received great support from people in the UK since we made a commitment to play here every year. However, our commitment to the UK runs deeper than playing our Wembley home game. We want to help people enjoy the sport and JagTag offers a chance for people to understand the game of American football in a fun, easy-to-understand and accessible way.”

The Jaguars, who are based in Jacksonville, Florida, will head to Wembley Stadium for their third visit in as many years to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday 25th October.